A child will spend up to 15 years behind bars for plunging a knife into a 16-year-old during a group attack and then returning to stomp on the dying boy.
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The killer was aged 14 when he and a gang of eight teens pounced on Declan Cutler as he left a birthday party in Melbourne's north in March 2022.
The group had met up earlier at a house in Tarneit before driving a stolen Mazda over to the Reservoir party after seeing a series of antagonistic videos posted by a rival gang online.
In the early hours of March 13, Declan became separated from his friends as they were leaving the party.
He was walking down the dark street, alone and defenceless, when the Mazda pulled up.
Eight teens carrying four knives got out of the car and started to chase Declan, who was not affiliated with either gang.
He tried to run, but the group dragged his jumper to the ground and two started stabbing him.
Others joined in the two-minute attack, repeatedly kicking, stomping and stabbing Declan as he lay on the nature strip.
The teens left in the car, but then returned briefly to stomp on Declan again and take his shoes.
Local residents were awoken by yelling and shouting outside their homes and called triple zero.
Declan bled to death on the ground after suffering 152 injuries, including 56 stab wounds and 66 blunt force injuries.
After fleeing, one of the eight teens looked up pictures of Declan on social media and then searched the internet for the question: "Is hell guaranteed for Muslim who commits murder?"
Three members of the group faced Victoria's Supreme Court via video link on Tuesday, where they were jailed for the attack.
"The attack was frenzied, savage and totally unprovoked," Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said.
"It involved unprovoked and brutal violence against an unarmed teenager, who was trying to run away at the time."
She described CCTV footage of the murder as "absolutely shocking in its brutality".
The second youngest in the group was jailed for up to 15 years, after he pleaded guilty to murder.
He admitted stabbing, kicking and stomping on Declan, and removing one of his shoes.
The boy, who is now aged 16, started carrying a knife in public in 2020 for "self-protection" after a friend died in a knife attack.
The judge recommended the adult parole board continue to hold the boy in the youth justice system until he turns 21.
He has already served one year and four months of his sentence and must serve at least 10 before he can apply for parole.
An 18-year-old, who was 16 at the time and pleaded guilty to manslaughter for being armed with a knife and stomping on Declan, was sentenced to four years in youth detention.
A third teen, of the same age, admitted kicking Declan after pleading guilty to intentionally causing serious injury.
He was handed a three-and-a-half year youth detention term.
Justice Hollingworth denounced knife crime, saying the wider community needed "to be protected and to feel safe".
"Unfortunately, violent knife crimes committed by young offenders have become far too common," she said.
Supporters of Declan sat in court for the sentences, wearing T-shirts with: "In loving memory of D-Jays, forever in our hearts".
Australian Associated Press
